Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake (no butter!)

This crumb cake needs to happen in your kitchen asap. It's a moist and tender layer of lemon cake topped with blueberries and a crumble made with oil. Both the cake and streusel are made from the same mixture. An easy and delicious one-bowl recipe with no butter! 

Originally published in February 2018, this post has been updated with images and text to serve you better. The recipe remains the same.

A splash of sunshine in the middle of winter for those of you up north, or a great summer recipe for us in the south, this crumb cake tastes as good as it looks, full of crunch, juicy blueberries, tangy lemon and a tender crumb that is ridiculously easy to make. 

There are some flavors that work year-round and on every occasion. Lemon is one of them.

The cake itself is made from a crumb mixture that's divided, some for the topping, and the rest mixed with a few other ingredients to make a proper cake. Well, it's truly amazing and there is no creaming of butter involved.

And did I mention it's one-bowl? For some reason, I find it all very appealing. 

Crumble with oil.

The crumble or streusel is the star of this cake as it is used for both the cake batter and the crumb topping. What's interesting is that it's made with oil. So it comes together really fast.

I usually make it with butter for my fruit crumbles or cakes, you know, the old-fashioned way, but using oil was a wonderful nice surprise. Might I even say it bakes crisper? I might indeed. 

It is the perfect alternative if you can't eat butter or are vegan. 

I might use it from now on for other recipes, that's how good it is. 

Making this crumb cake.

The steps are simple: mix the dry ingredients with the oil (image 1).

Mix with your hands, a fork or in a food processor until you have a crumble (image 2). Reserve part of this mixture for the topping. 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the remaining streusel mix (image 3) and beat until incorporated. I use a hand-held electric beater because it's easier to completely incorporate (image 4). But don't overbeat it. You can also use a whisk or a spatula. 

I use a metal pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper wide as the pan. That way it's easier to lift and remove after it's baked. 

Assembling the cake. 

Pour the cake batter into the lined pan (image 5) and then top it with the berries (image 6). 

Sprinkle the crumble on top so they are almost covered (image 7). As the blueberries bake they release their juices that moisten both the cake and the topping (image 8). 

Easy variations 

As with most recipes containing citrus and berries, you can mix and match. My favorites for this cake:

• Lime and strawberry - a favorite combination of this blog since we made the Strawberry Danish Braid, it has freshness and tang at the same time.
• Orange and blackberries - another combo that surprised us when we made the Blackberry Muffin Loaf. It makes for a sweeter cake. 
• Lemon and Raspberries - a classic that never fails. The acid in the raspberries is perfect to balance the richness of this crumb cake.
• Plain citrus cake - forgo the berries and make this a lemon cake. Or lime. 

This would be a great cake for mother's day or a spring brunch.

Other recipes you might like:

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
Lemon Blackberry Tea Cakes
Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake
Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
Easy Lemon Icebox Cake
Lemon Coconut Sheet Cake

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12 squares 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This is a moist and tender layer of lemon cake topped with berries and crumble made with oil. Both the cake and streusel are made from the same mixture. Easy and delicious! 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups (280g) all-purpose or cake flour
• 1 cup (200g) white sugar
• ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup (125ml) vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg, at room t°
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• Powdered sugar, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF /170ºC.
2. Lightly butter or spray a non-stick 8 or 9-inch round or square pan.
3. In a bowl stir flour, sugars, zest and cinnamon.
4. Make a hole in the middle, add oil and lemon juice and mix with a fork until flour is evenly moistened and mixture forms clumps. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture.
5. To the remaining mixture add egg, sour cream, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda.
6. Mix well with an electric mixer until batter is smooth.
7. Spread in prepared pan, scatter blueberries on top and sprinkle with reserved cup of crumb mixture.
8. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until dry, golden and a tester inserted comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly cover it with a piece of aluminum foil until it's done.
9. Let cool on wire rack.
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

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Notes

Storing: It keeps for a few days at room t°. You can freeze it for a month, well wrapped. I recommend you warm it slightly in a 325° oven for a few minutes after defrosting.

Variations on this recipe:

• Lime and strawberry - a favorite combination of this blog since we made the Strawberry Danish Braid, it has freshness and tang at the same time.
• Orange and blackberries - another combo that surprised us when we made the Blackberry Muffin Loaf. It makes for a sweeter cake.
• Lemon and Raspberries - a classic that never fails. The acid in the raspberries is perfect to balance the richness of this crumb cake.
• Plain citrus cake - forgo the berries and make this a lemon cake. Or lime.

Keywords: lemon crumb cake, blueberry crumb cake

Adapted from an old Bon Appetit magazine

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.